Category: patience

You Make Strong Whatever I Attempt

On By Northern Lights Publishing HouseIn #ransom, forgiveness, Life of Christ, patience, power, prayer, Satan, Thanksgiving, worshipLeave a comment

When I think of the days you materialized and walked on earth with Adam and Eve, and returned as Mary’s Son, I lift0-THEY MET JESUS-Medium-front cover up my soul to you. When I think of the angels announcing your appearance, I offer my heart to you.  When I think of your miracles and words of wisdom you proclaimed, I sing my song to you. When I think of the sorrow you bore and the cross of your suffering for me, I offer to lay down my life for you if your enemy ever demands it. My spirit communes with your Spirit. You love me so.  Though I may feel unloved by others sometimes, I feel your love always. The God of Love breaks through barriers and is victorious.

How amazing your Plan, God, to give mankind free will, let us fall, then forgive and lift us back up. Satan did not understand forgiveness. It was a mystery to him. Even your angels did not understand forgiveness. You can forgive anything and anyone. Your mercy tempers your justice. Forgiving tempers accusing. How angry Satan became after your Word died like he wanted, then came back to life. Your Word paid the ransom for our souls and Satan had no choice but to set us free.  How amazed the angels were after your holy Plan was carried out. How overcome I am that you forgive me over and over for the same sins.  I do try to resist Satan, Lord, and that is all you want. Still, I am awed. This is what makes you so great. You are the God of second chances. You are the God of extreme love. I worship you.

Help me not spend so much time studying your Word that I neglect relationships. Learning is just the beginning. Applying is what you want. Forgive me when I neglect people.

Thank you for the opportunity to wait. I make plans and they do not always come about as I desired. So, I wait, and as I do, I think a little deeper, I let go, I rest. Thank you for making my dreams of spreading your words of saving grace far greater than I could imagine. You stretch out your hand to make my puny efforts take hold and grow. I struggle, I am weak, but you make strong whatever I attempt in your own way. You are my strength.

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0-THEY MET JESUS-Thumbnail-front coverTHEY MET JESUS, all eight books in one. Come meet the people who met Jesus.  You are one of them  Probably you are several of them. Go ahead and struggle with him as they did.  Laugh. Cry.  Do mental battle with him.  Emotional battle too.  Fight for your faith as they fought.  Pause to listen for what you’ve never heard before.  Then touch Jesus.  This is the story of faith in the impossible.   Hope in the inconceivable.  Love for the invincible.  It is the dreams of youth, the desperations of infirmity, the hopes of age, and the song of eternity. To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this: https://bit.ly/TheyMetJesusAll         

https://northernlightspublishinghouse.com/historical-novel-about-jesus/they-met-jesus-all-8-books-in-1-adults-childs-versions/?frame-nonce=9bf6873c93

I do too, Lord. I do too.

On By Northern Lights Publishing HouseIn blessings, death, Inspirational, joy, knowledge, love, patience, power, praise, prayer, Thanksgiving, worshipLeave a comment

0-HeartsAfire-Child'sCartoonCover-MediumI praise you, Jehovah, Creator of everything I observe and more.  You are too large to see all of you. You are too small to perceive your intricacies, too much to fathom, too wise to comprehend. You are my monarch, my sovereign, my emperor, my king.  You reign over my heart, my mind, my spirit, my soul.  And one day I will see you face to face. What will it be like? Actually seeing he who made the universe with over two trillion galaxies, each filled with one hundred thousand million stars.  And you know them all by name.   Better, you know me by name. How I worship you.

Thank you for the rain we had to nourish my thirsty garden. How do you make such fantastic things out of tiny seeds? Beets with one seed, carrots with another seed, radishes with another, corn, wheat, beans, tomatoes ~ all from tiny seeds.  I put them under ground, they die, then they come back to life in delightful assorted sizes, shapes, colors, and tastes. Oh, how you must enjoy creating and giving life. Such pleasure you must receive from watching my little garden grow. I do too, Lord. I do too.

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03-HeartsAfire-Child'sCartoonCover-ThumbnailA CHILD’S LIFE OF CHRIST:  HEARTS AFIRE.   1 ~ ZEBEDEE. 2 ~ SIMON THE ZEALOT, 3 ~ HURT MINDS, 4 ~ LEPERS, 5 ~ PARALYZED MAN, 6 ~ MATTHEW, 7 ~ JUDAS I, 8 ~ PHARISEES, 9 ~ TWELVE APOSTLES, 10 ~ THE WIDOW’S SON.  At the end of each chapter is “Think and Do” with little projects the child can do to apply that chapter to their life.  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this……….http://bit.ly/AChildsLifeOfChrist                                  https://northernlightspublishinghouse.com/they-met-jesus-a-childs-life-of-christ/

 

A little extra seeking and knocking

On By Northern Lights Publishing HouseIn attitude, Bible, blessings, Daily, Holy Spirit, Inspirational, joy, patience, praise, prayer, Scripture, Thanksgiving, truth, worshipLeave a comment

Strip of InspirationalAh, how can I praise you enough, Jehovah God? You are so good to me. You poured out your heart to the world in your Bible. How lucky I am to have a copy of it and live where anyone can have as many copies as they like. Lord God, I adore you. You are so high, I delight to follow you and try to reach up as high as you do. You’re never quite so far that I cannot sometimes touch you. To know you is to love you. You are my God and will be forever. 

Thank you, God, for freedom to study your Book of all books.  I have a copy of your very own words. How amazing. Every word is so fascinating. You pour out your heart and withhold nothing of your plans, emotions, and doings. And thank you for the exhilarating gift of mind that allows humans to know of your existence and to understand who you are. Thank you for making me so much in your image that I have your same emotions, instinctively long for wisdom, and delight in creating. Thank you for all that I am.

The scripture for today, July 7 (7/7), is Matthew 7:7 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

“Ask, and it will be given to you, seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.”

How beautiful. The Creator of the universe pays attention to each and every one of us. How does he do it? How does he even sort us all out when thousands of us are praying to him at the same time?

But sometimes you may think he is not listening to your prayers. It takes time to answer some of them. If I am praying to meet my future husband or wife, God may have to move him or her from the other side of the country, get a new job for him or her and arrange for the two of you to “accidentally” bump into each other. This is just one example.

At other times you may ask for something like winning a ball game. When Jesus said whatever we seek will be given to you, he had already explained that you must “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). So, within that context, God will give you your heart’s desire.

Maybe today, you can do a little bit of extra seeking and extra knocking.

Strip of Inspirational TOUCHING GOD SERIES is a trilogy including (1) 365 GOLDEN BIBLE THOUGHTS: GOD’S HEART TO YOURS, (2) 365 PEARLS OF WISDOM: GOD’S SOUL TO YOURS; (3) 365 SILVER-WINGED PRAYERS: YOUR SPIRIT TO GOD’S.  A perfect way to begin or end your day. Or read one inspiration in the morning, one at noon, one in the evening.  To BUY NOW, click the book covers or paste this:  http://bit.ly/TouchingGod-Series         https://northernlightspublishinghouse.com/touching-god-series/

 

With you, I am always in heaven

On By Northern Lights Publishing HouseIn blessings, eternity, forgiveness, Heaven, Inspirational, joy, patience, problems, Thanksgiving, worshipLeave a comment

0-BK 8-ComeFlyWithMe-Cover-Medium-NewPraise God who makes all things magnificently beautiful. Sometimes I wonder what you are thinking. Each soul you invite into heaven brings along the brightness of their faith in you. Each soul who returns to their Maker brings along the brilliance of their love for you. Heaven grows brighter than before as your children return to you.  And you laugh and rejoice that your family is with you at last. Oh, for the day when I can join your children there and laugh with you. Oh, for the eternal day when I can sing praises to you.  Do you sing, Lord?  I hope so. Will you be the director of our heavenly chorus? Wonderful, incredible day when I close my eyes in weakness and open them in your everlasting strength and ceaseless joy.

Lord, there are people in my life I never show my gratitude to. They work hard and I take them for granted. The janitors, the trash collectors, the maids, the farmers, the cooks, and so many more. I have neglected them. Make me notice them and express my gratitude to them. Can you forgive me for this, yet another sin?

Thank you for your promises. You always keep your promises. You are my protector, my helper, my shield, and keep me safe under the shadow of your wing.  But the greatest promise of all is that you will return in the clouds someday and bring me up to you. When all who have loved and obeyed you arrive, you will take us with you to heaven. What an amazing and comforting promise. You will take me to the new and glorious body you are preparing for me and I shall walk streets of your golden purity. I cannot begin to conceive what heaven will be like, but with you, I am always in heaven.

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0-BK 8-ComeFlyWithMe-Cover-Thumbnail-NewCOME FLY WITH ME:  Meet the people who met Jesus.  You are one of them  Probably you are several of them. Go ahead and struggle with him as they did.  Laugh. Cry.  Do mental battle with him.  Emotional battle too.  Fight for your faith as they fought.  Pause to listen for what you’ve never heard before.  Then touch Jesus. This is the story of faith in the impossible.   Hope in the inconceivable.  Love for the invincible.  It is the dreams of youth, the desperations of infirmity, the hopes of age, and the song of eternity. To BUY NOW, click a book cove or paste this:  https://bit.ly/FLY-WITH-ME      https://northernlightspublishinghouse.com/historical-novel-about-jesus/book-8-come-fly-with-me-adults-childs-versions

The Divine Boomerang Effect

On By Northern Lights Publishing HouseIn attitude, death, discouragement, ego, Enemies, eternity, ethics, Fear, governments, humility, judging, Loss, patience, persecution, power, problems, sin, truth, victory, weakness1 Comment

Pearls Cover-Palms-300dpi-MediumThe scripture for today, June 23 (6/23), is 2nd Chronicles 6:23 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

“Then hear from heaven and act. Judge between your servants, repaying the guilty by bringing down on his own head what he has done. Declare the innocent not guilty and so establish his innocence.”

Did you notice here that God brings down on our head what we do to others? It includes how we treat him too. If we don’t have time for God, God doesn’t have time for us. If we put God last, he puts us last. If we refuse to forgive others, he refuses to forgive us. This is the boomerang effect. Here are several scriptures that reflect God doing to people what they do.

“The nations have fallen into the pit they have dug; their feet are caught in the net they have hidden. The Lord is known by his justice; the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands.” (Psalm 9:15-16)

“In his arrogance, the wicked man hunts down the weak, who are caught in the schemes he devises.” (Psalm 10:2).

“The wicked draw the sword and bend the bow to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose ways are upright. But their swords will pierce their own hearts.” (Psalm 37:14-15)

“Let the heads of those who surround me be covered with the trouble their lips have caused.” (Psalm 140:9)

“He mocks proud mockers.” (Proverbs 3:34)

“Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burned?” (Proverbs 6:27)

“If a man digs a pit, he will fall into it; if a man rolls a stone, it will roll back on him.” (Proverbs 26:27)

“Woe to you, O destroyer, you have not been destroyed! Woe to you, O traitor, you have not been betrayed. When you stop destroying, you will be destroyed; when you stop betraying, you will be betrayed.” (Isaiah 33:1)

“According to what they have done, so will he repay wrath to his enemies and retribution to his foes.” (Isaiah 59:18)

“I will judge you according to your conduct and repay you for all your detestable practices.” (Ezekiel 7:8)

“As you have done, it will be done to you; your deeds will return upon your own head.” (Obadiah 1:15)

In the meantime, we’re to leave punishment to God. And, if you are falsely accused of anything, God will declare you innocent. His is the important judgment.

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Pearls Cover-Palms-300dpi-Thumbnail365 PEARLS OF WISDOM: GOD’S SOUL TO YOURS.  Most of the warnings in today’s devo come from the “Wisdom Literature” of the Bible.  This second of the trilogy, Touching God, provides a daily short saying from the ancient sheik, Job, from King David’s psalms, and from his son King Solomon’s Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs. Job lived some thousand years before David and Solomon; yet we see the same wisdom of God shines forth in every millennium of mankind.  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this:   https://bit.ly/365PearlsOfWisdom    https://northernlightspublishinghouse.com/365-pearls-of-wisdom-gods-soul-to-yours/

 

The Unknown Future

On By Northern Lights Publishing HouseIn #friendships, attitude, blessings, discouragement, emptiness, Fear, forgiveness, Heaven, judging, Loss, patience, Satan, Saved from hell, sin, temptation, things, victoryLeave a comment

The scripture for today, June 20 (6/20), is Matthew 6:20f as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

Road to Heaven-COVER-KINDLE-MEDIUM“But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

In describing heaven, terms are used like pearls, diamonds, emeralds, gold, and so on. So, certainly, God is not against riches. Otherwise, he would not have described heaven with those terms.

So, what is the problem? Ask yourself, “If I lost everything tomorrow, could I face life?.”  You may say yes, but what about your friends? They may not want to associate with someone with nothing. So, it is not only a greed problem but a social problem. It is a problem of losing both your possessions and your friends.

Some have solved this problem by moving out into the country where possessions and social status don’t mean so much. Or you could stay where you are and just change your choice of friends. Your new friends may be truer friends than you ever had before and may need you more.

Lastly, if you lost your job, your car, your home ~ your identity ~ would you be so devastated that you would contemplate suicide as some have done? Or would you be able to look around and see what you can do without being paid and a job to occupy your time?

There are always things you can do for others. Is that truly where your heart is? In that case, loss of everything would not bring catastrophe. Rather, it would give opportunity to reveal what stuff you are made of deep down inside where your true treasure is ~ in your heart.

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Road to Heaven-COVER-KINDLE-THUMBNAILTHE ROAD TO HEAVEN.  It’s a long road.  It began in the Gaden of Eden.  What has it taken to get you forgiven?  It’s been a long battle between God and Satan, both of which are trying to get you on their side.  And the logistics God worked out:  He’s always fooling Satan.  Satan does not understand God. So, even though he thinks he is winning, he is not. To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this……….https://bit.ly/Road-To-Heaven                                           https://northernlightspublishinghouse.com/the-road-to-heaven/

Be a hero to yourself: Hang on.

On By Northern Lights Publishing HouseIn #Handicaps, attitude, death, discouragement, emptiness, faith, Heaven, Inspirational, Loss, patience, problems, things, weaknessLeave a comment

The scripture for today, July 13 (7/13), is in Job 7:13ff in the Old Testament of the Bible:

Inside-COVER-lg thumbnail“When I think my bed will comfort me and my couch will ease my complaint, even then you frighten me with dreams and terrify me with visions so that I prefer strangling and death, rather than this body of mine. I despise my life; I would not live forever. Let me alone; my days have no meaning.”

Job was extremely depressed. It happens to everyone sometimes. His depression was certainly valid ~ he had lost all his income and all his children in a recent storm. Now he had what the Bible translated as “boils” but the symptoms indicate he had a form of leprosy called Elephantiasis.

This particular form leads to nightmares in addition to the physical problems. Job had every right to be depressed. So depressed was he, that he no longer wanted to live, for his life no longer had meaning.

But, as miserable as Job was, he hung on. Patiently he hung on during the bad times. Sometimes during your bad times, the greatest thing you can do is “hang on” ~ be patient.

Romans 8:28 says all things work together for good to those who love the Lord. Job loved the Lord. Even in his misery and desire to die,  he continued to love God and trust Him.

And, although at such times you may believe your misery will never end and you will never even smile again, it will happen. The misery comes to an end. It did for Job. He got his health and income back and more children to comfort him. God will see you through too.

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Inside-COVER-lg thumbnailINSIDE THE HEARTS OF BIBLE WOMEN.  What did Job’s wife endure with the loss of all her children? What did she go through as she watched her husband suffer physically and mentally. What was her own anguish?  The word “barek” translated “curse” is always translated “bless” everywhere else in the Bible.  Do you suppose she finally said, “Husband, it’s okay if you die.  I’ll be all right.  Just keep blessing God and go to him in comfort.” Read the story of Job’s wife and other women in the Bible and how they handled their own challenges.  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this:  https://bit.ly/HeartsBibleWomen                                                                      https://northernlightspublishinghouse.com/1107-2/my-book-inside-the-hearts-of-bible-women/

 

Have they lost hope?

On By Northern Lights Publishing HouseIn #friendships, #Handicaps, attitude, discouragement, emptiness, Enemies, faith, Fear, good works, healing, Inspirational, Loss, love, patience, persecution, problems, rest, victory, weaknessLeave a comment

The scripture for today, June 11 (6/11), is Job 6:11 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

07-Jairus' Daughter-MediumCover“What strength do I have, that I should still hope? What prospects that I should be patient?”

Many people use the expression, “patience of Job.” But he had on-and-off patience, for he was very sick. By descriptions he gave of himself ~ sores, rancid breath, low voice, partial blindness, skin turned hard and black, bloating, nightmares, extreme pain, unrecognized by his closest friends ~ some believe he had a grotesque form of elephantiasis leprosy.

What did he need from his friends? He surely didn’t get it, for they spent their time trying to prove he had sinned, and God was right to be punishing him. His reply? “I have heard many things like these; miserable comforters are you all! Will your long-winded speeches never end? What ails you that you keep on arguing?” (Job 16:2f).

So how do you comfort someone who feels utterly hopeless? You certainly do not put the blame on them, nor do you tell them it’s “all in your head’ or to “snap out of it.”  You can share times when we felt hopeless. You can weep with them. You can hold their hand. You can sit with them in silence. You can pray aloud for them. (Some people have never heard their name mentioned in a prayer.)

And you need to let them talk. Sometimes they will say things they don’t mean in the long run, but at that brief moment, they do. Or sometimes, they need to talk through things they are unsure about. They may even say contradictory things.

At one time, Job said, “Surely, O God, you have worn me out; you have devastated my entire household….God assails me and tears me in his anger and gnashes his teeth at me” (16:7f). But another time he said, “I know that my Redeemer lives and that in the end, he will stand upon the earth….I myself will see him with my own eyes ~ I and not another. How my heart yearns within me” (19:25f).

Do you have a very sick friend? Do you have a friend who has lost hope?  Let your heart yearn with them.

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07-Jairus' Daughter-ThumbnailCoverA CHILD’S BIBLE KIDS:  JAIRUS’ DAUGHTER.  She was lively Leah and very happy from the time she was born.  But, when she was 12, she got very sick. The doctor came, but could not make her better. Her father was a rabbi and decided to ask Jesus to heal her. He found Jesus and begged him to come heal his little girl. But a surprise happened.  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this……….http://bit.ly/JairusDtr                                                       https://northernlightspublishinghouse.com/a-childs-bible-kids-book-7-jairus-daughter/?frame-nonce=dcd871ac5b

Feeling Rich When You’re Not

On By Northern Lights Publishing HouseIn #Handicaps, blessings, ethics, good works, Inspirational, Loss, patience, power, problems, sacrifice, weaknessLeave a comment

00-cover-kindle-medium-newThe scripture for today, June 10 (6/10), is Proverbs 6:10f as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

“A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest ~ and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man.”

Oh! This scripture really comes to the point, doesn’t it? Perhaps during difficult economic times for some people, this can be a gentle reminder. If you can’t work for money, you can work for free. There is always work to do as a volunteer either in an organization or just by yourself. All it takes is for you to look around.

Well, if you’re already in the clutches of poverty, what will volunteering do to help the situation? People will notice you. They will notice your work ethic and your cheerfulness and your thoughtfulness.  They will know you are out of work and just might tell people looking for someone to hire. And in the process, you are helping others. That in itself can make you feel rich ~ even if you’re not.

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00-Cover-KINDLE-Thumbnail-NewAPPLIED CHRISTIANITY: A HANDBOOK OF 500 GOOD WORKS.  Every possible type of good work is included in this book, along with step-by-step methods. Something for everyone, whether you have 10 minutes a day or 1 hour a day available.  There is something everyone can do. I Corinthians 9:23 ~ “I am made all things to all men that I might, by all means, save some.”  To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this:  https://bit.ly/APPLIEDCHRISTIANITY         https://northernlightspublishinghouse.com/1107-2/my-book-applied-christianity/

 

Can I ever smile again?

On By Northern Lights Publishing HouseIn #Handicaps, discouragement, emptiness, Enemies, faith, Fear, healing, Inspirational, Loss, patience, persecution, problems, victory, weaknessLeave a comment

0-Mefiboset-KINDLE MediumThe scripture for today, June 9 (6/9), is Job 6:9-8 found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

“Oh, that I might have my request, that God would grant what I hope for, that God would be willing to crush me, to let loose his hand and cut me off!”

Job was suffering terribly. The Bible says he had sores all over his body. There were other symptoms listed elsewhere in Job that indicate he had a form of leprosy. Now he just wanted to die.

When you get into a life problem that seems hopeless, do you just give up and say, “God, I can’t go on like this. Just take my life right now. It’s too hard. I can’t do it anymore”?

God knows what you are going through. God knows that Satan is attacking you. When things are desperately low, your job is just to hang on. It often takes God time to shift around a lot of other people’s lives in order to alleviate your pain.

Remember, God hurts just as much when you suffer as when he watched his own Son suffer on the cross. His Son’s suffering accomplished something wonderful for others. So too, someday your suffering will somehow, in some way, accomplish something good. And ultimately, just by surviving, Satan loses, and God wins.

This too, will pass. You may not think so, but it will. You may think you will never smile again, never want to go around people again, never sing again. But you will. Just as Job did.

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0-Mefiboset-KINDLE ThumbnailMEFIBOSET: CRIPPLED PRINCE.  He lost everything ~ his father, his grandfather, his throne, his palace home, use of his legs.  Though he must constantly deal with three enemies who do everything they can to make his life miserable, Mefiboset, grandson of a king, is an overcomer, a climber, a conqueror who triumphs in the end. To BUY NOW, click a book cover or paste this……….https://bit.ly/Crippled-Prince                                                                                          https://northernlightspublishinghouse.com/books-more-biblical-historical-novels/book-4-mefiboset-crippled-prince/